Has Iran given cruise missiles to Hizballah as well as Yemen’s Houthis?

The maiden operational launch of Iran’s Soumar Kh-55 cruise missile was apparently entrusted to Yemen’s Houthis against a UAE target. Has it been given to Hizballah, another Iranian proxy?

Yemen’s Houthi rebels last week showed on their TV channel video footage of Iran’s most highly advanced Soumar.Kh-55 cruise missile, which can carry a nuclear warhead. They claimed to have fired it at the unfinished Abu Dhabi power plant on Dec.3. The United Arab Emirates refuted this claim, saying that any missile reaching their air space would have been intercepted by advanced Emirati air defenses.
But would it? DEBKAfile’s military sources point out that neither Saudi Arabia nor UAE have air defense systems that are up to challenging this advanced Iranian cruise missile. With a maximum range of up to 3,000km, this reportedly re-engineered Russian KH-55 cruise missile, which could reach Israel from Iran, flew 600km on its test voyage in 2015 and can be launched from ships, aircraft and submarines.

Six examples of the Russian original were smuggled to Iran through Ukraine in 2001. It was never established whether they came with or without their nuclear warheads, but the intelligence presumption was that the vendors (most likely Ukrainian officers in charge of the stores) handed over the technical manuals for mounting them on the missiles. In April 2015, by which time this embarrassing affair had been brushed out of sight, six world powers signed a nuclear deal with Iran. No one bothered to mention the half a dozen nuclear-capable cruise missiles already reposing quietly in Iran’s arsenal.
But shortly after that deal was in the bag, the Iranian defense minister at the time announced he had just inaugurated what he called “the Soumar production line.”

Two years later, in January 2017, the re-engineered missile had its first field test. While US and Israeli officials appeared impervious, the German Die Welt newspaper reported that the Iranian Soumar had hit its target 600km away. On Dec. 3, the Soumar conducted its first real operation. It was the Houthi strike against the UAE nuclear plant under construction at al Barakah in Abu Dhabi. It took place in the full sight of US and Middle East intelligence surveillance. DEBKAfile’s military and intelligence sources report that the Iranian variety of the Soumar has a range of 2,500km and speed of 860km/h. It flies at very low altitudes to escape detection. Very little is known about its guidance system.
Images appearing on social media – one of which is attached to this report – showed sections of the Iran-made Soumar/Kh-55 missile on the ground at the Al-Jawf governorate of northern Yemen near the Saudi border, attesting to the fact that it was launched from there, but apparently failed to cruise towards its UAE target and exploded shortly after takeoff.
For Israeli, this episode is important as an indicator that Iran is ready to hand over to its Yemeni proxy its most highly advanced nuclear-capable hardware, for the sake of the war it is waging against Saudi Arabia and its Gulf ally. The question now is whether Tehran has also gifted this weapon to another of its proxies, the Lebanese Hizballah. Of relevance is the fact that Hizballah and Iranian officers and missile experts are physically present in Yemen alongside the Houthi insurgents and very likely attended the Soumar’s maiden launch against the UAE. At all events, Hizballah officers are obviously using the Yemen war to gain valuable experience in the use of cruise missiles, just as they have used the Syrian war to acquire important experience in large-scale combat operations and support for Russian air strikes.

Worth noting is a telling comment by the deputy commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Brig. Gen Hossein Salami on Nov. 25. Discussing Iran’s ballistic missiles, Salami said that Iran was not limiting their range “due to lack of technology…We are following a strategic doctrine.” He then added: “So far we have not felt that Europe is a threat. But if Europe wants to turn into a threat, we will increase the range of our missiles.” This was an indirect admission that Iran possesses ballistic missiles with a range of more than 2,000km which are capable of reaching Europe.

62 thoughts on “Has Iran given cruise missiles to Hizballah as well as Yemen’s Houthis?”

Netanyahu is no different to Ayatollah, he is a warmonger and under investigation in Israel by the police for abuse of power. Israel used to assassinate Iranian scientist but when The Iranian regime started hitting back they stopped. It is a two way system!

“israel has nukes and stealth planes so t=iran is no threat to them but is a good point for the u.s. weapon makers they profit on fearmongering .”

@arturo,

Iran has actually painted slogans right onto the bodies of some of its missiles calling for the destruction of Israel (and they are producing them by the thousands), so your comment just makes absolutely no sense.

I hope that the liberal EU members such as sweden france and like company get hit by what they have sown the iranian missles.At the end all muslims and eu liberals would enjoy the same paradise where each one of them will give pleasure to 72 goats and a camel.So said the great prophet Sam Popack.

They have a right to exist and prosper like any other country in our world ,give them a seat at the table and stop trying to destabilise them as a nation they have a beautiful and proud culture one of the oldest in existance i wish them only peace and to prosper in the future .

The “beautiful and proud” Persian culture has produced an aggressive government just like the great German civilization produced Hitler. Humans were created to spread throughout the Universe not to destroy themselves in their crib i.e. planet Earth. The Jews have always paid dearly for stopping human self-destruction (by Rome, crusaders, Nazis and communists). I hope Israel survives the stopping of the Muslim world takeover and lives to see Islam’s Enlightenment.

Since its existence Israel has been a menace to the people of Middle East with its arsenal of Nuclear bombs and massive armament and unlike Persian who saved the Jews from Babylonian and have not been involved in any attack against others the Jewish state continuously attacks its neighbours. They have not learned anything from their friend Hitler!

“——————–and they actually completed what Hitler could not achieve , the removal of most of European Jews to stolen Palestinian lands.

Since its existence Israel has been a menace to the people of Middle East with its arsenal of Nuclear bombs and massive armament and unlike Persian who saved the Jews from Babylonian and have not been involved in any attack against others the Jewish state continuously attacks its neighbours. They have not learned anything from their friend Hitler!”

@Taz,

B-U-L-L-F-E-A-T-H-E-R-S!

One other poster (Eli100 from MSNBC Newsvine) once said it best in response to another poster there, and I think his response at the time is applicable to what you, Taz, are saying in reference to Hitler:

“You’re just upset that the side you supported lost World War II”.

Eli100 couldn’t have said it any better: it’s as if he read your post, Taz!

“———- unlike Persian who saved the Jews from Babylonian and have not been involved in any attack against others”

@Taz,

Iran simply uses its proxies to do their dirty work: Iran manufactured missiles fired into Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Don’t forget about the attack on the Jewish Community Center in Argentina carried out by terrorists under protection of the Iran embassy in Argentina and still under investigation.

You better read the article it was your side who supported Nazi and it is documented and now Trump who is backing the white supremacist again backed by the Zionists the same white supremacist who attack the Jews in US. Obviously you have not learned anything from the history. What you people have stolen has to be returned one day. The Jews are still claiming for lost properties after 60 years despite the fact the Zionists supported Hitler so they could establish their own country on Palestinian lands.

You better read the article it was your side who supported Nazi and it is documented and now Trump who is backing the white supremacist again backed by the Zionists the same white supremacist who attack the Jews in US. Obviously you have not learned anything from the history. What you people have stolen has to be returned one day. The Jews are still claiming for lost properties after 60 years despite the fact the Zionists supported Hitler so they could establish their own country on Palestinian lands.
Iran knows these trios Israel, Saudi Arabia and UAE are after regime change and the Ayatollah are not going to sit and wait for the same fate of Gaddafi and Saddam that’s why they are trying to stop IS and Al – Qaeda to take over Syria and everybody knows these terrorists are backed by US, Israel, Saudi Arabia and UAE. I don’t know whether you know about axis of evil during Bush by Zionist Frum, Wolfgang and Pearle. Iran and North Korea were next on the list but it did not work Who is supplying all these missiles to Israel , Saudi Arabia and UAE which are used daily against Yemeni , Palestinian …… civilians. All these countries are involved in proxy wars and unlike Israel and now Saudi Arabia nobody else has invaded another country.

Wow! Invaded by a lying propagandist from aljazeera or CNN? Quit spewing that fake news already.

In 1941, Haj Amin al-Husseini fled to Germany and met with Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, Joachim Von Ribbentrop and other Nazi leaders. He wanted to persuade them to extend the Nazis’ anti-Jewish program to the Arab world. And that’s a fact.

Islam’s potential Enlightenment is its acceptance of other mono and polytheistic religions as equals in their role of development for different peoples. Note Spain’s Muslims, Jews and Christians living in peace before the Almohad (12th century) invasion.

Wow…how deluded can you get? What “table” are you talking about? Despite what faults Israel and the USA may have – or any other country for that matter – All the things Iran has done and is doing that shows day after day they are an aggressive, totalitarian islamic hegemony interfering and exporting terror all by themselves, and you can actually still arrive at that conclusion? People like you actually represent the “problem” we face in our communities. Appeasing, hypocrites with not a skerrick of commonsense, brainwashed by our indoctrinated tainted educational institutions, espousing simplistic, air-fairy and fantasyland ‘solutions”. Wow…just too dumb for words .

Like Iran invading Iraq on a pack of lies and killed over 2 million people, that Iran is it ? or is the Iran that bombed and destroyed Libya on a pack of lies ? ……..so are so deranged , arrogant and stupid it is a very dangerous mix………best of luck with your delusional thoughts !!!

I don’t think Iran can been stopped anymore… It’s too late. Their arsenals, production lines and research centers are burried deep underground. A great missile force can be better than an Air Force… A missile force is easier and less expensive than an Air Force… China’s People Liberation’s Army Rocket Force is able to use missiles to saturation and big barrages allwayse hit their targets… Like the 7th of april Tomahawks barrage to Shayrat airfield… In a future war between China and the US there will be no place on Guam where a B2 or F35 will be able ho hide because the PLARF has the capability to hit every single square meter of the island. If Iran has allready acquired the numbers to use missiles to saturation than it’s too late… Missiles used to saturation are impossible to stop… Immagine a US CVBG inside the Persian Gulf under attack from multiple directions with carrier killer missiles… I’ve read of an exercise in the Coral Sea … Aussie P3 sunk a USN Carrier attacking from behind the orizon from multiple directions with Harpoons… Immagine a Yakhonts barrage from multible directions… The Coral Sea is not The Persian Gulf and an Harpoon is not a Yakhont… The Persian Gulf could turn out in to the graveyard of the US Navy… The numbers make the difference with missiles… Does Iran allready have the numbers???

Yes, they do have the numbers. Not necessarily of the same type of rocket, but that wasn’t a parameter, was it?

Though you’re right that every war is different, I’m not so sure about calling the Persian Gulf the new Ironbottom Sound. In the worst case, the US may lose a few ships, perhaps even most of a battle group, but the Iranians will pay for it. [Although, I wonder more about US seamanship than combat readiness.] Remember Praying Mantis?

The persian Gulf isn’t suited for CVBG operations… It’s more a closed, trafficked, noisy and salty sea perfectly suited for diesel-electric submarines operations… It would be nice to see a simulation by RAND CORPORATION of Iran trying to sink a CVBG… something like the simulation of the airwar over Taiwan by China… To really understand the power of numbers have a look at this simulation… I’m sure you will enjoy reading it.

Conventionally, they cannot be stopped, but unconventionally they can be stopped but it would require the combined and unified efforts of several strong countries which currently in this divided and fragmented world would be hard to do. It would have to involve large deep bunker busting missiles with nukes. It would be more economical and efficient to support groups on the ground in the Middle East that are against Iran and its proxy allies especially in Syria, Iraq, Iran, etc.

Iran is an ISRAELI-SAUDI problem… A nuclear Iran for Europe is like a nuclear Russia… Iran is a great economic partner for most of the european countries… a great business opportunity… and this is true in both directions… EU is a great partner for Iran… Eu will live well with a nuclear Iran like it lives well with nuclear Russia. A coalition must be driven by common interests… Why should EU side with Israel against Iran? Just the Saudi share the same interest about Iran…

Eleven years ago, Hezbollah pulled off one of the most impressive naval victories since the Falklands by hitting and severely damaging an Israeli missile corvette with a C-802, a first-string weapon that prior to the strike was not expected to have been in their hands. [The same weapon apparently found its way to Yemen, with multiple attacks a little over a year ago.] If anything, Hezbollah has ingratiated itself further with the Iranians, acting as a semi-independent army corps over the last few years, and gaining valuable experience. Whether or not it was actually delivered to them, even including delays caused by IAF airstrikes, what should the operational assumption be? Not that the weapon system ever needs to leave Syria…or does it?

I dont think that was a “victory”, more like a very bad surprise. In any case it shows that in any conflict once it actually starts next time, if this stuff is used by the enemy, we could reasonably expect that the escalation to WMD level will be rapid. The threat must be extinguished by any means. Maybe the prophesies are correct?

A bad surprise it was, but at the end of the day, it was the Israelis who were nursing home a ship. [The use of the word ‘victory’ was drawn from direct comparison to Exocet missile attacks in the Falklands.] Now imagine if that had happened to a sizable portion of the fleet at once, plus a few platforms. Or you could imagine that a similar surprise virtually wiped out an entire armored division, the survivors of which fought one of the greatest last-ditch fights in the last hundred years, possibly comparable to a Rorke’s Drift or a Samar (for the latter, look up Taffy 3), and only repulsed the opponent by the grace of God – which is what happened the last time that they were caught with their pants down. As Churchill put it, war is best defined as a series of blunders – and it is those blunders that bridge the gulf between victory and defeat, particularly when the stakes are so high, and especially if just one or two WMDs can get through.

The ultimate sad truth here is that unconventional weapons in that area of the world have become a fact of life.

With regards to China’s growth, I am reminded of several old quotes from an old general with a supposed 78-1-0 record, the most relevant one paraphrased as “The best victories are won without fighting.”

With regards to the rest, I am reminded of another old quote – “Hope for the best [but] prepare for the worst.”

As an aside, war isn’t good for the economy, unless it means that the competing power can no longer compete.

Finally, one more quote that summarizes this whole mess from someone best known for creating a mess:
“War is hell.” — William T. Sherman

Owen Crippa, the pilot of the MB339 sunk HMS Sheffield instead of HMS Invincible because the Royal Nave used non lethal weapons to disturb him… laser… Immagine if he would have sunk HMS Invincible… The aircraft carrier was obviously his primary target…

Hez fired a single CS-802… Immagine the damage if they would have fired more missiles simoultaniously at the Hanit… Adventuring near the cost is to dangerous for conventional ships… Littoral combat ships (LCS), trimaran design are better suited for operations near the cost… Syria has received modern russian built Yakhont missiles… If Iran has reverse engineered the Kh-55 it’s plausible that they are working on their Yakhonts… After all they have allready reverse engineered the russian VA-111 supercavitation torpedo. With a missile force you can’t control the sea or the sky but you can surelly deny to your adversaries the freedom of movment… Sea/Sky control vs Sea/Sky denial… In my opinion great numbers of conventional missiles could get a nation behind Sea/Sky denial… Sea/Sky Control spending much less than what the US does whit its expensive Airforce and Navy…

Makes sense, it would make the missile systems an ADAD weapon system, especially if the weapons deployed against land forces are unconventional. I’d comment further, but I don’t know who reads these. My objective is to make people think a bit, not give out information that may be unwise to put in the open.

With regards to the Falklands, although countermeasures were used successfully [MV Atlantic Conveyor was a notable casualty of a missile reacquiring a target following successful ECM], the two key targets – HMS Invincible and HMS Hermes – were generally off the coast. I do remember one action based around the Invincible that convinced the British to stand off their carrier forces.

A commenter who draws on history and looks at things from a slightly different angle than usual? Where’d you come from, and are you planning on sticking around?

One more thing – you may be interested in an ex-USN ship sold to the UAE by the name of HSV Swift. It was attacked by an anti-ship missile a little over a year ago and supposedly damaged beyond repair. My guess why it survived was that the strike was very close to the starboard bow, which would not necessarily knock out the firefighting system, the engine room, or the pumps.

Correction for the article.
Theres no such thing as a Ballistic Cruise missile.
Missiles are either ballistic, (which describes the trajectory) or cruise, (which the flight methodology). They can’t be both.
Author is barely better informed than the majority of commentators on here who keep talking about camels.